Attachment and PACE

This course is grounded in attachment theory and in Dr Dan Hughes’ PACE model, described by Hughes himself as “a way of being” rather than a technique, and connects directly to the Positive Relationships and Health and Wellbeing Quality Standards within the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015.

Nearly every child in residential care has experienced some genuine disruption to early relationships, and understanding how this shapes their expectations of adults, and learning to respond in a way that genuinely helps rather than confirms old fears, sits at the heart of good residential child care. Written for registered managers and residential care staff, this course covers across eighteen lessons what attachment theory tells us, the four attachment patterns, how attachment difficulty shows up day to day, the PACE model and each of its four elements in turn, using PACE in difficult moments, felt safety, being a genuine secure base, consistency across the whole staff team, attachment-aware boundaries, staff self-regulation, and working sensitively with placement moves and multiple past attachment figures.